The present invention relates to an electromagnetically operated indicating device having particular, but not limited application as trip indicators or targets for use in conjunction with a static trip circuit breaker to indicate the particular abnormal circuit condition, e.g., overload, short circuit, ground fault, responsible for tripping the breaker. Commonly assigned U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,068,283 and 4,004,201, are illustrative of this application. These fault indicators, for which commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 3,893,052 provides a representative disclosure, are mounted at the front of the circuit breaker and thus can provide a strictly local indication. Increasingly, users are requiring a remote indication that a circuit breaker has tripped. To satisfy this customer requirement, manufacturers have incorporated a so-called "bell alarm" switch in their circuit breakers. This switch, of the normally open type, is actuated to a closed condition incident with tripping of the circuit breaker, thereby completing an external signal circuit to provide a trip alarm or indication at a remote location. It will be appreciated that, in this arrangement, the trip alarm remotely indicates only that the circuit breaker has tripped, not why it tripped. This determination must be made by going to the tripped circuit breaker and observing which of its trip indicators has been actuated to its indicating condition.
It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide an electromagnetically actuated indicator uniquely constructed to accommodate both a local and a remote indication.
An additional object is to provide an indicator of the above character which includes switch contacts for completing an external circuit to a remote signalling device incident with actuation of the indicator to its indicating condition.
A further object is to provide an indicator of the above character which is compact, inexpensive to manufacture and efficient in operation.
Other objects of the invention will in part be obvious and in part appear hereinafter.